Zimbabwean
police on Monday 5 November 2012 resumed their crackdown against
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO)'s by arresting five employees
of the Counselling
Services Unit (CSU).

About 20 police
officers led by Detective Assistant Inspector Henry Dowa and Detective
Assistant Inspector Murira raided the CSU offices around lunch time,
armed with a search warrant justifying their raid as aimed to recover
"offensive and subversive material" from the organisation's
offices in Harare.

The police arrested
Fidelis Mudimu, Zachariah Godi, James Zidzimu, Tafadzwa Gesa and
Penn Bruno whom they have taken into custody at Harare Central Police
Station.

According to
the search warrant, a copy of which is in possession of ZLHR, the
police officers claim to be convinced that the CSU is in possession
of material that "defaces any house, building, wall, fence,
lamp post, gate, elevator without the consent of the owner or occupier
thereof," in contravention of section 46 of the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Lawyers Tarisai
Mutangi, Kennedy Masiye and Tonderai Bhatasara, who are members
of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and Blessing Gorejena, Tafadzwa
Christmas and Aretha Dzingirai of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO
Forum, are representing the CSU employees.

The police officers
confiscated a computer and some documents from the CSU offices.

The raid on
the CSU offices follows that of the Gays
and Lesbians of Zimbabwe whose offices were twice raided in
August after the police claimed that the organisation and its leaders
were in "possession of pamphlets and fliers with information
that promotes homosexuality for distribution".